Wilton Bulletin
Kids' art project will benefit juvenile diabetes event

Mar 16, 2008

Natalie Winrow, 12, of Wilton has her hand decorated with Henna by Suzanne Henrick of Norwalk for a large art project for the Fairfield County Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation%u2019s upcoming gala and live auction.

The finished piece, called %u201CHand in Hand%u201D displays the hands of children involved in the Henna art project. It will be on sale during the group%u2019s live auction.

The “Art for the Cure” project has become a tradition for kids with the Fairfield County Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to get involved in the fight for a cure. This year the kids participated in the ancient art of Mehndi to create an art piece that will be an item in the annual JDRF gala live auction. This year’s gala, “Journey to a Cure” is on Saturday, March 29 at The Hilton (formerly The Westin) in Stamford.

The kids “Art for the Cure” project has been a pre-gala tradition since 2002. Each year children of all ages with type 1 diabetes, along with their siblings, parents, and gala committee members, gather at The Darien Arts Center to create an art project to be featured in the live auction. This year, led by artist Stephanie Peterson of Fairfield, several artists came together to create a piece inspired by the gala’s exotic theme.

Colleen Flannery of Modern Mehndi volunteered her artistic ability to teach the children philosophies behind Mehndi and apply designs with henna. Photographer Paul Jones of Fairfield then captured images of the children’s hands with their designs, which will be used to compose a larger art piece.

JDRF was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with type 1 diabetes — a disease that strikes children, adolescents, and adults suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research worldwide. More than 85 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related education. JDRF’s mission is constant: to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

Information: 854-0658, or jdrf.org/fairfieldcounty

© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers